Device for propping mines.



F. NELLEN. DEVICE FOR PROPPING MINES. APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1908.

v 1,049,1 35, Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

UNITED STATES FRIEDRICH NELLEN, 6F ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GERMANY.

DEVICE FOR PROPPING MINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. a1, 1912.

Application filed J'uly 29, 1908. Serial No. 445,964.

To all whom it, may concern:

Be it known that I, FRIEDRICH NELLEN, a subject of the German Emperor, and resident of Essen-on-the-Ruhr, Germany, have invented certain new ments in Devices for Propping Mines, of which the following isa specification.

The means hitherto employed for walling, timbering and propping mines, consist essentially of wooden or iron props. Said props, however, did not allow one to ascertain whether a prop was normally loaded or whether, on account of too high pressure, a second or third prop was necessary. The drawback of said props lies therefore in the fact that they cannot yield to pressure but break under the same. To avoid this disadvantage, telescopic iron props have been employed which have, however, not proved to be satisfactory either, in that at a pressure or 13000 to 15000 kilograms, the telescopic parts got loose and shifted into each other, whereby the roof of the mine could easily break in; Furthermore, it has been tried to obtain an ideal prop which gradually yielded to pressure so that a breaking was impossible. To attain this, wooden props were employed of which the lower ends were pointed, this having the effect that increasing pressure, instead of breaking the prop, simply caused the point to spread out like a brush. Also by pointed ground a cerof pliability was obtained, which, however, did not suit the requirements.

Hereinafter an improved method oi walling, timbering and-propping mines, is described, by which the desired yielding is fully obtained withoutshowing the aforementioned drawbacas. A further advan-l tage of said method consists in its great cheapness, which will be clearly noted from the following description of the same, as the prop used with the improved method, is to consist mainly of waste rock, such as is present on the working place in the mine.

In the accompanying drawing, the invention is illustrated, Figure 1 representing a plan of a stope showing the arrange ment of the caps and props, Fig. 2 a prop, partly in section, showing how its parts are dislocated in order to relieve the tension and useful Improvewhen the props arebeing a sectional view of a level with the props in their proper position, Fig. 4 a cross section on a larger scale, along line 50-50 of Fig. 2.

The improved method consists in that iron semi-tubes a, b and b (Fig. 2) are connected to form a whole tube or cylinder. This is preferablyelfected in such a way that one of the semi-tubes, a, maintains its necessary length of say 1.5 meters while the robbed, Fig. 3'

other semi-tube consists of two pieces,

1 and b the relative length pending on the pressure that is to be supported. If the latter is a medium one, the second semi-tube is divided in the proportion of 1:2, f of 1.0 and 0.5 meters length. pressure the semi-tube is divided into two equal parts, these being shown in the of the same delVith higher or instance in two pieces semi-tubes are now connected in the fol- 4 accompanying drawing (Fig. 2). The two I lowing way :The two short semitube parts 6 and ('2 are placed on the long semi- ,tube a and fastened thereto by means of rings 0 which are disposed at a distance of about 0.2 to

I the tube. In the same way a ring (Z is put around the joint of the two short semi-tube parts, so that the semi-tubes are firmly held 7 together to form a whole tube or cylinder. hen propping the mine, the lower part l of the cylinder thus formed, is filled with l peat-fiber e up to the height of the middle ring d, i. 6., to the joint between the two short semi-tube parts, while the remaining part is filled with granulated waste rock f, in such a way that an empty space of about 0.25 meters length is left at the top, the rock being loosely placed in the tube. The 1 empty upper space serves for the reception of the lower part of a wooden plug 9' which fits loosely in the cylinder. To enable the superintendentto ascertain whether and what pressure acts on the pro the wooden plug 9 is provided with a scale 9. Preferably iron cylinders with eter of 60 to 120 millimeters are employed. The timbering and boarding is effected in such a way that the hitherto used wooden caps are replaced by half-round irons h of suitable lengths, the samebeing at their ends provided with holes. Between the roof or the hanging wall and the fiat upper side of an internal diamfalls out through .lows :-As soon the half-round iron cap h, pieces of peat i are arranged to leave a space for the lagging. The upper end .of the plug 9 is provided with a semicircular groove to receive therein the round side of the semicircular iron, whereby the whole prop receives a firmer hold. According to the nature of the ground, a suitable number of props are employed for each iron cap. The latter rests with one end on the dry wall built in the stope. In front of the wall a prop is disposed below the semicircular iron, while further on, toward the face 'of the stope, two or three props are provided (see Fig. 1). As the space is being filled with waste, the props can be robbed The robbing is effected in such away that first the middle ring d is loosened and pushed downward to disconnect the lower end of the upper short semi-tube. By the pressure of the waste rock in the cylinder produced by the pressureof the roof on the wooden plug, the upper short semi-tube is dislocated at its lower end. Upon knocking with a hammer or the like on the long semi-tube, the waste rock the opening produced at the lower end of the upper short semi-tube whereby the wooden plug gets loose and the prop can be easily removed without the roof being exposed to the least vibration (Fig. 2). Upon all props being removed from beneath the semicircular iron, the latter is drawn from the waste. Also in the levels, instead of the ordinary wooden caps, semicircular irons are employed; here, however, certain auxiliary means will be necessary. First the ends of the irons h are bent in right angles and provided at each side with holes, at a distance from the angle to correspond with the diameter of the wooden plug (Fig. 3, left side).

The timbering of the level is now etiected in the following way :On the iron caps with the downwardly bent ends, pieces of compressed peat i are placed, so that the latter lie between the hanging wall or the roof and the caps, under which the afore-mentio-ned props are then placed in position. In this case, however, the props are entirely filled with peat or fiber, in order to attain the required pliability. In places where there is acid-containing water, a wooden plug is may also be inserted in the lower end of the prop, so as to prevent the corrosion of the iron cylinder.

After the upper prop has been put in its place, a bolt or rivet Z is inserted in the holes of the caps so as to project somewhat beneath the lower side of the same, the object of the bent ends and of the holes fitted with bolts and rivets being as folas the pressure acts upon the cap, the latter would, if straight,-on account of its being bent through in the middle-slip oil' from the two props. This and a filling of peat or granulated mamas isefliciently prevented by bending the ends- ;of thecaps,

while the bolts or rivets inserted in the holes of the same, prevent the props from being pressed into the passage along the smooth underside of the iron. To yield to the lateral pressure, pieces of peat m are placed between the Wall and the prop; Instead of bending the ends, two bolts may be used, one at each'side of the prop, as shown in Fig. 3 (right side) so that the props are held between the bolts. Upon the wooden plugs being entirely pressed into the cylinder, the prop must be replaced by a shorter one. When the level is exhausted, the whole timbering and walling is robbed.

With this timbering and walling the foul smell of the wood disappears so that the air in the mine becomes much better and more tolerable; moreover the ground remains entirely sound as the whole of the timbering yields and thus gives a flexible support to the hanging wall or root.

The timberingof the effected in the same way as in the levels, with the difference, however, that instead of the semicircular iron-caps vaulted arcs of semi-tubes, T-iron or rails are employed.

Cribs or walls to fill up levels and inclined shafts, are built in the following way :-On the foot wall a layer of peat n is placed which -may consist either of cut pieces of peat or of larger pressed peat blocks. Then several layers of broken rock 0 are placed on said peat layer, a layer of peat being again put on said rock layers, and so on until the roof or hanging wall is reached (Fig.4). In this way, not only extremely firm cribs but also rather airtight brattices for the distribution of air are obtained.

Having fully what- I claim and Patent is:-

1. A device for propping mines, consisting of a column formed of a semi-tube and a plurality of superposed disconnectible semi-tubes opposed thereto, plugs inserted in the ends of said column, and a yielding filling of peat and granulated rock between said plugs.

2. A device for propping mines, consisting of a column formed of a semi-tube and a plurality of superposed disconnectible semi-tubes opposed thereto, bands fpr holding the same together, plugs in the ends of the column, and a filling of peat and broken rock in the semi-tubes between the plugs.

3. A device for propping mines, comprising iron-caps for supporting the roof, props for supporting said caps composed of a semi-tube and a plurality of disconnectible semi-tubes opposed thereto, annular bands inclosing said semi-tubes, wooden plugs at the upper and lower ends of said semi-tubes rock in described my invention, desire to secure by Letters mine galleries 'is said semi-tubes between the plugs, the middle circular band serving for closing the joints between the disconnectible semi-tubes.

4. A device for propping mines, comprising iron caps for supporting the roof, props for said caps, and means, for holding the props on the caps, said props being composed of a semi-tube and a plurality of superposed disconneotible semi-tubes opposed thereto, Wooden plugs at the upper and lower ends of said semi-tubes, and a filling of peat and granulated rock.

5. The combination of transverse iron caps for supporting the roof, props for supporting said caps, comprising a semitube and a plurality of superposed semitubes opposed thereto, wooden plugs at the ends, a filling of peat or broken rock between the plugs, and blocks of peat interposed between the props and the roof and between the props and the side-walls.

6. A mine-pro comprising a semi-tube and a plurality of super osed semi-tubes opposed thereto disconnectible at their ends FRIEDRICH NELLEN. [L. s.]

Witnesses Orro KoNIG, EDUARD WIRTHS. 

